A look at the official list of countries whose travellers (leisure and business) have to furnish a US visa bond has revealed that India is not part of it, putting to rest speculations that Indian travellers might also be affected.
Details of a US Department of State (Department) visa bond pilot programme &lsquowith specified parameters&rsquo was published in the Federal Register on November 24, 2020. Which means travellers from certain countries will have to furnish a bond (in the amount of $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000 as specified in the Register) as a condition of visa issuance.
This temporary final rule is effective from December 24, 2020 through June 24, 2021.
According to sources, one of the key reasons for this pilot project is to discourage people from overstaying their temporary business visitor/tourist visa.
Speculations were rife that countries such as India or Nigeria will also be affected by the pilot project.
However, a look at the list of countries mentioned in the Pilot Project revealed India is not on the list.
Indians who fall under the specified visa categories will not have to furnish a bond.
Nigeria too is off the list.
Countries who figure in the Federal Register&rsquos list include Afghanistan, Angola, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo (Kinshasa), Djibouti, Eritrea, the Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Iran, Laos, Liberia, Libya, Mauritania, Papua New Guinea, Sao Tome and Principe, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen.
However, travellers from the select nations have to await the Joe Biden government&rsquos reaction on the policy till the new president takes over in January.
